Hospital staff warned after theft
Updated on 03 May 2007
A computer containing the bank details of thousands of hospital staff has been stolen from an NHS building, it has been revealed.
The computer contains bank and personal information about staff at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust but does contain any patient records.
The details of around 5,000 employees who work at the trust's three sites - the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, the West Cornwall Hospital in Penzance and St Michael's Hospital in Hayle - are understood to be on the database.
A spokesman for the trust said the theft took place between Monday night and Tuesday morning and all staff had been warned to alert their banks.
"We can confirm that a computer containing personal information of Cornwall NHS employees has been stolen from a locked and alarmed NHS premises in Truro," the spokesman said.
"Although it is believed the theft was opportunistic and not for the purpose of obtaining the information stored on the computer, as a precaution staff have been advised to contact their banks to advise them of the theft and to consider registration with a fraud prevention service."
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Tust spokesperson Angela Huxham said that the computer was password protected, and was stolen from a locked and alarmed office.
"We apologise to staff for the anxiety and inconvenience caused," she said.
She said the Trust had launched their own inquiry into the incident, as had the police, and advice had been given to staff.
She said the trust had been told by the police that the theft was likely to have been opportunistic.
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